NetSpeedMonitor 2.5.4 [64-bit]

Monitor the speed of your internet connection from the system tray

By Mark Wilson | 18 May 2010

Whatever the advertised speed of your internet connection, it is common to question what sort of transfer rate you are actually achieving. NetSpeedMonitor is a simple little tool that displays your current upload and download speed in the system tray so you can keep a constant eye on your connection.

Speed can be displayed in kbits/sec or mbits/sec and if you have more than one network adaptor installed - such as a wired and wireless connection - you can choose which one should be monitored. But one of the most useful features of the program is its ability to record data about monthly web usage.

Many ISP impose monthly bandwidth restrictions on users and exceeding these limits can result in a hefty bill. With NetSpeedMonitor installed you can ensure that you never download more than you should. The recorded data can be saved in an SQLite Database and you can then analyse your daily, monthly and annual usage.

If you'd like to know a little more about how your connection is being used, the program will provide information about the TCP and UDP endpoints on your system. This may not be of interest to everyone, but the speed and usage monitoring offered by this free program make it a worthy tool.

Verdict

Making it possible to monitor not only the speed of your internet connection, but also how much of your monthly allowance you have used, NetSpeedMonitor is an essential installation.